Edward vincent gardner



Nb Model.)

E. V. GARDNER.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING, DRESSING. ND FINISHING GRANULAR AND POWDBREDSUBSTANCES.

No. 420,496. Patented Feb. 4, 1890.

NI PETERS. Fhmolflhographer. Washington. 9 (IV N go S ATES PATENTOFFICE.

EDWARD VINCENT GARDNER, or BERNERS COLLEGE, COUNTY or MIDDLE- snx,ENGLAND.

APPARAIUS FOR SEPARAIING, DRESSING, AND FINISHING GRANULAR AND POWDEREDSUBSTANCES.

SPEGIFIGATIONforming part of Letters Patent No. 420,496, dated February4, 1890.

Application filed October 1, 1889. Serial No. 325,652. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be itknown that I, EDWARD VINCENT GARD- NER, professor of Chemistry, asubject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Berners College,Oxford Street, in the County of Mid: dlesex, England, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating,Dressing, and Finishing Granular and Powdered Substances, of whichthe'following is a specification.

This invention relates to means or apparatus for separating particles ofgranular or powdered substances of different degrees of fineness ordensity from one another and of dressing and finishing such substances.

To clearly explain the nature of my invention, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a part sectional elevationof the apparatus employed. Fig. 2 is a view of a partition or shutterhereinafter referred to, and Fig. 3 is a modified form of a portion ofthe apparatus.

In carrying my invention into effect I attach to the delivery end of anysuitable grinding, pulverizing, or disintegrating machine, as indicatedat A, (or I otherwise convey the material to be treated in anyconvenient way to,) an upright shaft B, formed, preferably, of a conicalshape, as shown, and with a horizontal return or shoulder O at one side,up which shaft the material is driven by the blast of the machine or byan auxiliary blast. I arrange the height of the shaft B according to thespecific gravity or density of the material to be treated. One side of,this shaft is formed by a partition a, which extends nearly to the top,as shown, and which separates the shaft from a second and parallel orreturn shaft D for the down current.

At the top of the combined shafts B and D is a telescopic box cover orhead E, which is rendered dust-tight in any convenient manner, and iscapable of being raised and lowered so as to regulate the height of thiscover or head above the partition a. At the top of this telescopic coveror head E, and at about the center of its width,'is situated a pendentshutter F, so arranged at its lower end as to meet or be overlapped bythe partition to or an extension thereof, and to slide up and, down inguides formed therein. This shutter F is formed of a number ofarticulated plates with an opening f, as shown, for the passage of thematerial therethrough, and it is suspended through a slot in thetelescopic'cover or head from a roller I), inclosed within a chamber andprovided with a crank-handle or other means by which it can be revolvedto raise or lower the shutter F, or a verti- 6o Cally-movable rigidshutter may be employed for this purpose, or a movable shutter formed ofa number of louver-plates (such as that shown at G in another part ofthe apparatus) capable of being separately set at any desired angle orclosed may be so employed. By these means the position of the openingabove the partition to for the passage of the material can be easilyregulated, and thus the height to which the finely-divided parti- 7ocles must be raised in order to pass over the partition may beconveniently adjusted. The current now passes down the shaft D, on theother side of the partition, and in its course is in some cases,according tothe nature of the substance, acted upon by steam or gasesora combination thereof (or in some cases by a jet or spray of water)issuing from the sides of the shaft at about the pointH, in any desirednumber of jets arranged, in any convenient manner, so as to completelyenvelop the current of ground material. The steam should pass into themachine at such a pressure that it will moisten and yet not overdamp thematerialand cause the particles to adhere together and not to require tobe redried; and in order to counteract this action, should it occur, Imay attach to the chamber or case heating-pipes, or I otherwise heat theapparatus, so as to prevent any dele- 9o terious condensation during thepassage of the steam; but this additional heat is not in all casesabsolutely necessary. If desired, the steam or gases or a combinationthereof may be introduced at any other suitable part of the apparatus.

The shaft D communicates at its lowerend with a collecting case orchamber I, within which may be arranged, when treating some" materials,similar shutters to act as battle I00 plates, or in this situation acurtain or shutter i maybe used similar to the shutter F, but withoutany aperture thereon, and may depend a given distance from the roof ofthe ease or chamber, thus compelling the material to pass beneath it, sothat the velocity of the draft may be conveniently regulated as thedensity and nature of the material under treatment may require. Thegreat advantage of these shutters, curtains, or bafiles is that theopenings beneath or therethrough can be regulated from the outside ofthe machine while it is in operation and without the necessity ofstopping the work or the risk of loss from the material escaping, and,in the case of deleterious materials, injury to those engaged inworking. At the end of this chamber I is a shaft or chamber K, theopening to which may be also controlled by a curtain or shutter, or, asin the case shown, by thelouverplates G. This shaft K connects with anupper dust-chamber L by a slot 15 in the floor w, in which chamber, ifdesired, inclined baffieplates may be arranged, which act to divert thecurrent and increase the distance of its travel. The dustchamber L isprovided with partitions or floors l, which are fitted with frames m, ofbunting, cloth, or other suitable material, through which the currentpasses and is sifted before it reaches the outlet, which is incommunication with the returnblast shaft M, by which the circulation ofthe blast is insured and an efficient exhaustis preserved in connectionwith the grinding machine and apparatus.

I will now describe the effect and action of my process and apparatus.Part of the ground or divided material carried upward by the action ofthe machine or by the auxiliary blast strikes against the shoulder C ofthe shaft 13, whereby its grosser particles are obstructed and theirmomentum destroyed, causing them to rebound or fall back into themachine. The conical shape of the shaft also assists in this, as itallows the current to be expanded, and its velocity being thus lessenedsome of the heavier particles will fall from same. The finer or lighterparticles are carried onward by the current to the head of the shaftthrough the aperture f in the shutter F and downward on the other sideof the partition a, where they are enveloped by and subjected to theaction of the gases and vapors of the jets, and thus deprived ofanything that may have become adherent to them in the process ofgrinding or blowing. By these means the finished product is renderedmore compact and close, is freed from any tendency to fly about andescape, is more easily handled, and is rendered capable of beingpacked-in a smaller compass than heretofore; and, furthermore, the steamor gases, or combinations thereof, by their partial condensation cause apartial vacuum within the casing and apparatus, and thus relieves thegrinding-machine from back-pressure and lessens the power needed fordriving. The current now passes beneath the shutter'i into the chamber Iand from thence through the louver-plates G or other adjustable shutterinto the shaft or chamber K, the material being deposited both upon thefloor of the chamber I and the chamber K, from which it can readily beremoved by suitable machinery or by hand. The lighter particles,however, pass on up into the dust-chamber L, (where it may, if desired,be acted upon by baflle-plates,) and it thence passes through the sievesm, on the under side of which most of the suspended particles arearrested and collected, and, finally, it passes into the return-blastshaft or channel M and back to the machine. The current at this pointshould be perfectly free from any pended or floating particles; but Isometimes find it convenient to place a small chamber N above the hopperp of the disintegrator, said chamber having any suitable number ofbunting-frames q, (similar to the frames m in the chamber L,) on theunder side of which the remaining particles are collected. This chamberis placed so as not to interfere with the feeding of the hopper in theusual way. To remove this finely-divided material from the frames m andq, I place doors-such as shown at r and s-in the chambers L and N, toenable the attendant to lift and beat the frames, and so cause thecollected particles to fall down (in the case of the chamber L) onto thefloor w. The lower frame is preferably beaten first and then stood upout of the way, as shown in dotted lines, to allow the upper frame orframes to be beaten and the material to fall through the opening below.

I sometimes employ in lieu of the shoulder O of the shaft B a series oflouver baffleplates, as shown in Fig. 3, (or they may be employed inaddition to the shoulder,) and dispose them horizontally across themouth of the shaft, and so as to be capable of being separately openedor set at anydcsired angle from the outside of the machine, therebyregulating the area of the passages or openings between them. Thisserves to arrest and throw back to the machine the grosser particles,while the finer particles only are carried onward by the current, asbefore described, and this is an excellent means of separating the finerfrom the grosser particles of the ground or powdered substances.

I would have it understood that I may employ any desired number andarrangement of collecting boxes or hoppers, and of the shutters,curtains, or baffle-plates, and that I may dispense with the telescopichead to the first shaft and employ a fixed head by slightly modifyingthe arrangement of the sliding shutter or curtain and its attachments.

It will be evident that the apparatus is adapted for separating anddressing various materials and substances; but I have found itespecially valuable in connection with the grinding of white lead, inwhich I am able to collect the floated particles in a high degree offineness and density.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my saidinvention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare thatwhat I claim is 1. In an apparatus for separating granular or powderedsubstances, a shaft divided vertically to form a forwarding-passage anda return-passage communicating at the top and extensible longitudinally,and connecting with a blowing apparatus at the lower end-of theforwarding-passage, substantially as described.

2. In apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances, avertical shaftup which the material is carried on a current of air, ashoulder in said shaft,and a returndown shaft, an opening between thetwo shafts having therein a shutter, the height of the opening in whichis adjustable, substantially as described.

3. In apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances, thecombination, with a vertical and a return shaft, of a telescopic head orcover, and a pendent shutter between the head and the two shafts forregulating the opening between them, substantially as described.

4. In apparatus for separating granular or powdered substances, thecombination, with a dust-chamber having floors or partitions providedwith cloth screens, of a return-blast channel leading from thedust-chamber to a chamber'above the hopper of the apparatus,substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 1n *handi11""the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

EDIVARD VINCENT GARDNER.

Witnesses:

PHILIP M. J UsTIoE, T. T. BARNES.

